“That sounds good; I’ll ask her.”

“Want some coffee?” I asked Sam as I walked over and poured some in a cup for myself.

“Nah, I have to get going soon. Are you free to grab a burger at the burger bar this afternoon?”

“Sure, I’ll meet you there around 1:00 p.m.”

Lily came out of the bedroom, looking smoking hot. We’re going to have to role play in bed. The thought started getting me hard.

“Good morning, Lily. You’re looking as beautiful as always.” Sam smiled.

“Good morning, Sam, and thank you,” she replied as she kissed him on the cheek.

“Hot damn! I’ve been kissed by two beautiful women already this morning,” he said as he spun around and put his hand on the doorknob.

“Later, bro; I’ll see you later for that burger.”

“Later, dude. Bye, Lily,” Sam said as he waved and left the apartment.

I poured the rest of the coffee in her to-go cup and handed it to her as I walked her to her Explorer. I opened the door and wrapped my arms around her.

“Have a good day, babe,” I said as I kissed her lips.

“You too.” She smiled.

“Two burgers, medium, with everything and a side of fries,” the waitress said as she set our food in front of us.

“I’m taking Lily to family dinner Friday night,” I said as I picked up a fry.

“Wow! That’s a big step taking a girl home to meet the family. I haven’t done that with Gretchen yet. I love how I was right that you and Lily would make a great couple. You are a couple, right?”

I nodded my head as I took a bite of my burger. “Yep, we made it official last night.”

“Dude, that’s awesome.” Sam smiled as he fist-bumped me.

When we finished our lunch, Sam went back to work, and I headed to Bernie’s to talk to Maddie. I walked in the bar and took my usual seat.

“Hey, Luke. What brings you in here today?” Maddie asked.

“I know you talked to Mom last night. I listened to her message this morning, and she knew about Lily.”

“I may have mentioned that you’ve met someone and that she’s really special. I hope you’re not mad.”

“No, I’m not mad at all. It actually bought me some time before the million questions Mom’s going to be asking me about her.”

Maddie set a beer down in front on me. “Luke, my boy, tell me you’re here to give me your decision?” Bernie said as he came from the storage room with a box in his hands.

“Not yet, Bernie, but I promise you’ll have my answer by the end of the week,” I replied.

“You’re actually thinking about buying the bar again?” Maddie leaned over the bar and asked.

“Yeah, I’m thinking about it, but I want to talk to Lily about it first. We were supposed to talk about it last night, but we kind of got distracted by a bathtub, a countertop, and a bed.”

“Whoa, stop right there!” Maddie said as she put her hand up.

I finished my beer and got up from the stool. “Later, Bernie; Lily and I will be in tonight. See ya, sis,” I said as I kissed her on the cheek.

Lily

I grabbed my bags and headed to the Explorer. Once I got inside, I inserted the key—nothing. The fucking thing wouldn’t start. I took in a deep breath and calmly turned the key—nothing. “Damn—damn—damn it!” I yelled as I slammed my hands against the steering wheel. I pulled out my phone and dialed Luke. Please answer, please answer, I thought to myself.

“Hey, babe, are you on your way home?” he answered.

“I never made it out of the parking lot; my truck won’t start!”

“Sit tight, I’ll be there shortly.”

“Thank you, I—I’ll be here!”

I couldn’t believe what almost came out of my mouth. Just then, a text message came through from Gretchen.

“Sam and I will be joining you at Bernie’s tonight. Make sure you have your dancing shoes on, because we’re going to get down and dirty!”

I laughed as I replied, “Alright, but we have to get the guys to dance with us. If Luke dances, then he’s perfect. I love a man who can dance!”

I looked up and saw Luke pulling into the parking lot. I let out a sigh of relief when he was in his Jeep and not on his bike. Pulling up next to me, he smiled, and I gave him a small wave and a smile in return. I was so happy to see him. I got out of the Explorer as he got out of his Jeep, and I hugged him tight.

“I missed you,” I said.

“I missed you too. Now let’s see if we can get your truck running.”

I popped the hood and stood next to him as he fumbled with some wires. I was totally turned on by how sexy he looked, trying to fix my truck. He looked over at me.

“Go try to start it.”

I sat in the truck and turned the key—nothing. I got out and walked over to Luke as he was on the phone with the mechanic. After he hung up, he shut the hood of my truck and put his hands on my hips.

“They’re on their way to tow your truck back to the garage.”

I sighed. “I need a new ride.”

“The good news is that I get to drive you to and from work tomorrow.” He smiled.

“There’s no school tomorrow. The district’s closed.”

“That’s great! So I guess that means you don’t have to be home early tonight.”

“Nope, I can stay out late because it’s not a school night.” I smiled.

We walked over to Luke’s Jeep, and he opened the door for me. I climbed in and put my seatbelt on as we drove back to the apartment building.

We pulled up as Maddie and Charley were getting out of the car.

“Uncle Luke, Lily, guess what? My daddy’s coming to visit in a few days!”

I could see the tears in Maddie’s eyes as Luke looked at her, and she looked away.

“Lily, take Charley to your apartment; I want to talk to my sister for a minute.”

I took Charley’s hand and led her inside the building. I began to worry about the conversation Luke was going to have with Maddie. Obviously, no one likes Charley’s father. After a few minutes, they walked into my apartment; then Maddie took Charley home. Luke opened my refrigerator and grabbed a bottle of beer. He opened it and flung the cap across the counter.

“Do you want to talk about it?” I asked as I stood there with my arms folded.

“He hasn’t seen Charley in three years. He hasn’t paid child support, and he hasn’t sent her any gifts; nothing. The only thing the bastard’s done is made a few phone calls, talked to her for a couple of minutes, and made up excuses as to why he can’t visit her. Now, he’s coming here after three years and expects to take her for a weekend.”

I walked over to where Luke was standing. “He’s her father.”

“Don’t give me that bullshit, Lily! The only thing that attaches that title to him is his DNA. He’s no father to that little girl!”

I could see the pain in his eyes, and I knew he was more of a father to Charley than anyone. I watched him as he threw back his beer; then I wrapped my arms around him and held him tight.

“He’s a drunk and a drug addict, Lily. There’s no way I’m letting him take her. He can visit her at Maddie’s, with me sitting there.”

“I’m sorry, but Charley seems really excited to see him.”

“I know, and that’s the sad part. She doesn’t even know what he’s like. She hasn’t seen him since she was six years old.”

“Come on; let’s not worry about this now. Let’s go to Bernie’s and have a good time. Speaking of Bernie, we never discussed what you two were talking about yesterday,” I said as I looked up at him.

He took his thumb and softly stroked my cheek. “You’re so beautiful,” he whispered.

I smiled as I put my hand on his face. “You’re beautiful too, Luke, inside and out. The way you take care of Charley is amazing. You treat her like she’s your own daughter, and that’s what I love about you.”

He took my hand from his face and pressed his lips against my palm while staring into my eyes. “I’m falling in love with you, Lily.”